Do as we say, 

      not as we do

For those who don't want to watch the two minutes of video, here's a similar story from the L.A Times:

"The people of Egypt have rights that are universal," Obama said. "That includes the right to peaceful assembly and association, the right to free speech and the ability to determine their own destiny. These are human rights and the United States will stand up for them everywhere.

"I also call upon the Egyptian government to reverse the actions that they've taken to interfere with access to the Internet, with cellphone service and to social networks that do so much to connect people in the 21st century."

Apparently, the United States will stand up for those "human rights" everywhere except in the United States:

Legislation granting the president internet-killing powers is to be re-introduced soon to a Senate committee, the proposal’s chief sponsor told Wired.com on Friday [Jan. 28, 2011].

Kimberly Dvorak, writing for examiner.com, writes:

Leading the charge are Senators Joe Lieberman (I-Conn) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) who point to WikiLeaks as a reason to control the Internet cyber space. The bill titled, "Protecting Cyberspace as a National Asset Act," would give the president the authority to track critical cyber-infrastructure lists. This legislation would give the president the ability to turn off the Internet without any judicial review. Something the world is now witnessing in Egypt.

However, Senator Collins claims the "switch" would be different in the United States. "It would provide a mechanism for the government to work with the private sector in the event of a true cyber emergency," she explained. "It would give our nation the best tools available to swiftly respond to a significant treat."

In fairness to the president, I haven't seen him publicly calling for this legislation, but there is no doubt in my mind that he will sign it if it reaches his desk.

o